I’ve posted a small number of excellent new specimens in this Pakistan-Afghanistan Update. This group includes colourful brucites from Killa Saifullah, a superb matrix diopside from Sar-e Sang, twinned titanite from Alchuri, topaz from Shigar, and one of my favourite zircon specimens, from Astor Valley.

I’ve just added a post with my report from the Tucson shows, 2018. Some new finds and lots of excellent new mineral specimens!

I’ve posted some excellent new specimens from the Conselheiro Pena area in this Brazil Update – a small number of spessartines from the famous 2003 pocket at the Navegadora Mine, and some fine crystals of wodginite from the recent find at the Itatiaia Mine.

I’ve posted a number of beautiful elbaite crystals from Afghanistan and Pakistan in this Tourmaline Update. Several of the tourmalines from Stak Nala were very recently collected – I acquired them from a family that is mining the specimens.

Emery (2005-2017) was an amazing guy. He was our great dog (Labrador Retriever), and he was also a founding member of McDougall Minerals, shaping every day out here. This post gives a glimpse into his strong personality, and some of the fun and laughter he brought us.

I’ve added excellent new specimens from Cape Split in this Nova Scotia Update. Over the past three years, a pocket system at Cape Split has sporadically yielded excellent, distinctive specimens of several minerals, most notably the groups and hemispheres (and even balls) of natrolite crystals, associated with sharp analcime crystals, and lustrous brownish stilbite crystals. This group of specimens represents some of the nicest pieces recovered from these finds.

I’ve posted some great chabazite specimens from Wasson’s Bluff in this Nova Scotia Update. This is the classic Canadian locality for chabazite, including the deep-coloured ones that were once known as “acadialite”, and many of the specimens in this update are this colour (there are also very fine cabinet specimens of the nice mid-orange colour.)

I’ve added some great new spodumene crystals in this Afghanistan Spodumene Update. These spodumene crystals are from a 2017 pocket that produced colour-zoned (lilac/pink – pale green – colourless) crystals, along with some specimens that were purely lilac/pink and some that had no such hues at all.

I’ve posted fun new specimens in this Mali Update. This update features particularly good clinochlore crystals, and also specimens of prehnite, grossular and andradite specimens, with some distinctive finds and a couple of unusual Mali localities.

I’ve added a small number of excellent hematite specimens in this France Hematite Update. I’ve had a few of these in the past, and have managed to obtain a few more. These hematites were excavated from a deposit in the hills just above the town of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines.

I’ve posted some wonderful new zircon crystals in this Pakistan Red Zircon Update. These are from a new find of red zircons from the Astor Valley, in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

In the heart of France’s Vosges Mountains, each June, Mineral World assembles at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, for what is always a great mineral show. This post gives a glimpse of some of this year’s finds, including gorgeous red zircon crystals, bi-coloured spodumene, clinochlore crystals and some classic French hematites from just outside of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines.